Finding a Name
by arober94
Summary: Asuma Sarutobi did not always listen to his father and went out one night while drunk. Nine months later there is a consequence to this action, but the Sarutobi clan does not take up the responsibility. Left without a last name, how will this new player change the Naruto universe. Rating subject to change. Rewrite: 8/10/2015- read everything again.
1. Enter Isamu

Brown eyes surveyed the scene before him, detached in a sort of way that that was remarkable for a twelve year old. His classmates were chatting away happily, their shiny new forehead protectors gleaming with the light. He himself had scuffed up his hitae as soon as he got to his apartment and made a few scratches on it. Shiny meant reflective and that meant you were dead in the world of shinobi. Something that his classmates seemed to not understand. Isamu took that back as the next individual walked through the door, Shino Aburame seemed to get it, but it was expected from someone in the most logical clan of Konoha. Hinata Hyuga entered quietly behind the bug boy and took up her customary seat beside him. There was a friendship there, Isamu thought, or something closer than he had with the rest of the class. The shy little girl had allowed Isamu to sit by her one day when more of the classes had combined due to the dropout rate and in return, he convinced her bullies that it was in their best interest to leave her alone. They didn't talk much and as clan heiress she really didn't need protection, but it worked for the two of them and they were close.

"Hinata," Isamu said in his quiet, dulcet tone and shared a smile with her.

"Hello Isamu," Hinata whispered back with a smile of her own, her stutter all but gone around Isamu. She liked Isamu because he held no expectations with her. To him she was just another girl, someone he could have fun with, and she felt that he was like Neji should have been. A brother that wasn't cold to her, but would help her whenever she asked for it and one that she could simply talk to. She knew she was the only one of her classmates that ever noticed Isamu's lack of a last name and thus the only one to receive the story of why. She didn't know who his family was, all she knew was that he had been abandoned at birth by his father and both his father and grandfather were important in the village. Hiashi had been surprised, but quite pleased when Hinata grew a bit more vicious in her training.

"Any thoughts on who you want your sensei to be?" He asked although he already knew the answer. However, he could tell that Hinata was nervous though most of the class would have been confused as she looked the same as she always did.

"I'd like Kurenai," Hinata thought.

"I would too," Isamu agreed as he thought about his older sister/aunt figure in his life. He had met Kurenai a few years ago as she was assigned to escort Hinata to and from the Hyuga compound. Now, Kurenai was a fixture in his life as she and her roommate Anko were next door neighbors to Isamu's apartment, the only thing his grandfather had ever given him. Isamu greatly enjoyed the conversations he could have with Kurenai and as a budding hormonal teenager, greatly enjoyed Anko's presence as well. C'est la vie.

More talk between the two was interrupted when the boisterous, orange-wearing, brat known as Naruto walked in and demanded attention from everybody. Isamu didn't like Naruto, though for different reasons from the rest of the village and he did know about what the small boy contained, but since Hinata had a crush on him he refrained from making any scathing remarks. However, when the blonde haired miscreant squatted on Sasuke's desk, he couldn't help himself from teasing his friend. "I bet you lunch that Naruto and Sasuke will have their first kiss in a few moments."

Hinata face soon mimicked that of a tomato and Isamu couldn't decide if it was because she was angry that she wouldn't be her crush's first kiss or embarrassed as she really wanted to see it. It didn't matter though as Isamu's prediction came true and the class burst into pandemonium. The guys burst into laughter and the girls showed a bit of their future selves and unleashed an unholy hell on the poor boy. If Isamu could say nothing else about Konoha's jinchuriki, he could at least say that Naruto could take a punch.

"Settle down class!" Iruka yelled with his patented big headed jutsu ten minutes later as Naruto slowly got into his seat. "Thank you. Now then, I will call your name and those of your teammates followed by your sensei. These teams were put together based on your average grade over the years and if you have a problem with them then you may take it up with each of the clan heads and the hokage. I wouldn't do that if I were you. Team one will be…"

Ismau drifted away as Iruka Sensei began listing the team names as he knew these first few teams would be filled with those destined for a career away from the main task force. That's not to say that they weren't needed in Konoha, but those that joined a team below seven were rarely heard from again and faded to obscurity. Like any good shinobi should do, truthfully. He was brought back to reality when he heard the banshee screech about true love, or something of that nature.

"Team eight will be Hinata Hyugga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka," Here Hinata let out a little sigh of disappointment at not being on the same team as her brother figure. She knew it had been a long shot, but if Isamu had been with her, something would have been right with the world. "Your jonin sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi." Isamu reached over and squeezed the nervous girl's hand and gave her a warm smile. While he did not get on the team he wanted, he was happy for Hinata and no jealousy would make its way into his mind. Seeing that Isamu wasn't angry or sad, Hinata returned the smile.

"Team Ten will consist of Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara. Your Jonin Sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi." No one noticed the flinch that Isamu showed or the tightening of his fist at the mention of Asuma's name. "Right then, that is all the teams available in this classroom. Isamu I was told that you were to report to training ground forty four when the teams were announced where you will meet your sensei for further instruction. I truly don't know any more than that." Now it was noticed by the rest of the class when Isamu tightened his fists and seemed to be reaching for the dual swords on his back, but he seemed to get a hold of himself.

Knowing that Naruto had only passed late last night because of circumstances beyond anyone's control and the Hokage having the final say in all teams was a major slap in the face for Isamu. The Hokage, the same man that allowed his father to cast Isamu out of the family and never said a word against his son, had decided that Naruto was going to get a spot on the teams from the class and not Isamu. It was insulting to be honest and Isamu had half a mind to not show up at the training grounds. He shook that traitorous thought off quickly, there was no way he was going to let his father or grandfather get under his skin and undermine his ninja career already. Giving one more squeeze to Hinata, though not as gentle as before, he bowed his head to Iruka and walked silently out of the class.

-Finding a Name-

In the Hokage's office the prospective sensei had been watching the assignment of their teams and no one could make heads or tails of what just happened. Kurenai was rather angry and Hiruzen allowed her to speak her mind. "What did you just do to that child?" She spit out, trying to keep a respectful tone while conveying her anger.

"What do you mean Kurenai?" The Sandaime asked as he really was confused about her animosity. "Please, speak freely as well."

"Not only did you change our agreed upon teams that each of us had spent hours debating over last night and finalized, you replaced one of the most promising genin of the past few years with a boy that passed on sheer dumb luck. Naruto should not have been placed on Team Seven and I should still have my approved team." She had nothing against Kiba and was good friends with his older sister, but she wanted her team dammit. Asuma's team hadn't been changed at all and even though the Hokage had told her to speak freely, she wasn't foolish enough to accuse him of favoritism. "I know exactly who his mysterious teacher is supposed to be and she only has one other student with that student being mentally imbalanced from a minor clan. Are you creating a suicide squad? Is this because of the boy's good for nothing relatives?"

The room's atmosphere suddenly thickened as everybody waited for the hokage's answer. A suicide squad was nothing to joke about, especially in Konoha. As the name implied, a suicide squad was given time to train up and then sent on the more dangerous missions with a do or die motto that was taken literally. Some of the missions were so dangerous that AnBU squads refused to go on them. A creation of such a squad went against the founding tenants of Konoha and aggravated Kakashi like nothing else.

On the outside it looked like the hokage was as calm and collected as he always was, but inside Hiruzen was dealing with the anguish that came from being accused of that. He hadn't meant to cause his grandson, even if he wasn't allowed a part in the family, any more hardships or ridicule, but now that it had been pointed out he realized just what it could be constructed as. Hiruzen honestly thought he was doing what was best and knew that Isamu had a good relationship with Anko. It seemed that once again he had made a mistake and others would now be responsible for fixing it.

"It is good that you brought me your concerns Kurenai," The Sandaime said, his inner turmoil hidden away from those in the room, "But let me assure you that there are no squads being formed in Konoha. However, with Naruto's graduation teams had to be moved around. I'm sure Isamu will be fine with his new sensei and teammate." Kurenai's glare didn't lessen, making the third hokage feel even worse knowing that she was closer than Anko to Isamu, but she didn't say anything else, knowing that the hokage had shut the conversation down effectively. "Now, you have your assignments and can pick up your new team after lunch. Until then, dismissed."

As they bowed and left his office, Hiruzen sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. Twelve years ago was simply a mistake after mistake it seemed to him. Taking back the Hokage's hat was never in Hiruzen's plans other than for the occasional vacation Minato took with his growing family, but it was forced upon him once again after the sacrifice of the Yondaime. His first mistake was dealing with Naruto and not enforcing the law that deprived the child of almost laughter and love in his short life. His second mistake was not seeing what Jiraya had pointed out to him numerous times in his teammate Orochimaru and the acts that the foolish young man committed. Though that instance didn't come to a head until many years later.

His most personal mistake however came from when Asuma went through a particularly nasty case of rebellion. One night Asuma snuck down to the red light district and had some fun. Nine months later his night of fun came back to bite him in the butt just as he was about to leave for the Fire Country's capital and join the Twelve Guardians. When the boy was presented to the Sarutobi estates from a rather irate whore who couldn't believe a ninja had allowed someone to carry their child, the clan was in an uproar. No one was able to look after the child other than Asuma due to their age or prior engagement and Asuma was having nothing with the child as it would keep him inside Konoha and near his father. With a heavy heart Hiruzen was forced to banish the child from the clan less than three weeks after he was born.

When one is banished from a clan in Konoha, old laws came into effect that the Shodaime seemed to have missed in the forming of the village. When a child was not wanted by the parent who was a clan member and no one in the clan would take the child in, they could never be a part of the clan, even through marriage. When the other parent also wanted nothing to do with the child, the child was no longer entitled to a last name and under Konoha's laws, was not allowed a last name until the child married, taking their spouse's last name. It was a cruel fate for a parent's stupidity, but it was the law.

Hiruzen wept for the fate that he had placed on a child of his own flesh and blood.

-Finding a Name-

Isamu made his way quickly to the designated training ground, trying to clear his head of traitorous thoughts. He knew that if he was making his way to the lovely Forest of Death, his sensei was going to be sadistic in her training and he knew he had probably gotten as a sensei. Like Kurenai though, he knew that she only had one other student so things were not looking up. On the other hand though, if they didn't get another teammate, Anko would probably enter them into the chunin exams anyways just to show the fools that they were the best and she made a great teacher. He didn't know what to feel about his sensei now.

Landing in front of the large cage, Isamu didn't have time to wonder where his new sensei and team were as he sensed incoming projectiles that were rather sharp coming his way. Without much thought, Isamu pulled out both his blades and blocked the incoming weapons. Continuing to spend his blades he brought the two handles together, twisting one of the blades and interlocking them to make a double bladed weapon. It had cost a pretty penny, especially for an orphan, but Isamu thought it had been well worth it. He stood tense, his sword ready for another attack.

A blur shot down from the trees followed by another one and dropped down in front of Isamu. The amber eyes of one Anko Mitarashi stared back at Isamu for a moment in all seriousness before she put on her customary grin and smirk. "Well done brat," She said and he couldn't help but to return her grin. "I see that my lessons haven't been forgotten."

Isamu snorted in amusement while subconsciously moving his right hand to cover a scar on his arm. When Anko first met him and learned that he was in the academy she decided to help him in her own unique way. It took a month for Isamu to learn from Kurenai that Anko enjoyed their training time together and wanted to help him succeed. "As if you would let me forget."

"Damn right brat," She grinned proudly. "Come over here and meet your new teammate." Isamu had of course met Yakumo once before since she was Anko's student and Kurenai's former student. They hadn't interacted much, but they had met.

"Morning Yakumo," Isamu smiled at the girl.

"Good morning Isamu," Yakumo replied.

"That's right, I forgot you brats knew each other, but it does make it a bit easier. I'll be blunt with the two of you, each of us has been given the short stick because of this team. I've actually wanted to teach for a while, but instead of a full genin team I was given two genin and no offense to you Yakumo, but right now you need a lot of work, a lot more than Isamu at least. Isamu, you are stuck with a teacher that is labeled as a traitor just because I was Orichmaru's student and with a girl that has recently battled a demonic construct of her mind and really needs to train. However, I plan on just the two of you completely destroying the chunin exams in two months."

Isamu and Yakumo looked at their sensei as if she had two heads. They knew their limitations. Couple that with the fact that teams were usually made of three members, the chunin exams were always filled with ringers, and they were just beginners. "Ah don't look so scared, if you two truly aren't ready I won't force you past the first stage, but the chunin exams are easy to pass if you use Kami's gift that's two feet above your butt. I will focus solely on getting both your physical abilities up to par as well as instructing you two on my specialties being stealth and assassination. I will also be sharpening your mind in order for you to pass the exams."

"What about Isamu's sword training or my genjutsu sensei?" Yakumo asked.

"Oh yeah," Anko replied, "I knew I was forgetting something. I have a few friends that I racked up enough favors that they'll help you out with what you need. You'll have to prove that you can keep up with them of course, so I won't be showing you them for two months probably, but that should still be enough time." Isamu and Yakumo still didn't seem convinced and Anko had to prove to her students that they could trust her. "Look guys, it's not going to be easy, nothing ever is, and I'm going to run you to the ground most days when we aren't out of the village on missions, but I promise you when six months rolls around you'll be ready for the exams. Probably to get away from me, but you will be able to pass them as long as you trust me. Can you do that?"

Looking at each other and giving a few nonverbal cues to discuss the situation between themselves, something that Anko was surprised but pleased about, the two genin came to a decision. "You push us to make that mark Anko Sensei and we'll turst you."

"Excellent my new minions," She cackled which brought an amused grin from the two before her, "Now while Training Ground 44 is my favored training ground, what most people don't realize is that there are actually areas around the cage that are perfect for different exercises. Eventually I'll take you into the forest, but we won't go in the first day. Now come on, there's training to do!"

**A/N: So, as you can see things are a bit differently this time around and I've placed Isamu with Anko and Yakumo. No, I don't have any plans at the moment for another member. If you have suggestions, then please let me know, but their will be no Sai. Yes, I will have them both breeze through the Chunin exams, but I don't think they would have any difficulty in them to begin with. **

**I have a poll up on my profile that will let you choose which girl Isamu ends up with and it will affect everything from chapter five and beyond so I'll only leave it up for a week. Until next time!**


	2. A Bit of Training

They were good, Kakashi thought to himself as he watched his team once again try and fail at a simple exercise. It had been a month and a half since the genin teams had been assigned and Anko had approached the other genin sensei for a training exercise for her team. Everybody had agreed of course, willing to help out a fellow a shinobi with training her kids and it was decided that Kakashi's team would be the first guinea pigs for the test. He had been the one to volunteer his team in fact since they were specifically designed to be a full frontal assault team and needed their own help in detecting stealthy enemy. Plus, as a former AnBU captain himself, he would be able to spot some of the technique that they were lacking and that Anko might have missed accidentally.

Overall he would say they were about mid-chunin level in stealth which was quite impressive for only a month and a half in training. Occasionally one of them would fade out of his sight, but that was to be expected as he kept some of his attention on his own team. Signaling that they could begin the second stage of their operation, he watched as Yakumo caught Isamu's attention through a set of discrete hand signs and they carried on a silent conversation. He was even further impressed with this as they used the minimum number of hand signs to convey their objective and then execute. He didn't know how their other skills were at this moment, but if they continued to progress in stealth the way they had he would give his own recommendation to AnBU, something he hadn't given since he left the black ops program.

He watched as they got into position, moving quicker than he imagined they could have at this point in time and idly wondered if all their skills were up to par with their stealth. If that was truly the case, then he would need to seriously think about stepping up his own team's training. Watching, he was curious to see what they would do with their modified senbons. Their second task was to disrupt the team's training without giving away their position. Watching the senbon fly he was curious to see just why there appeared to be two targets. As they landed, it was easy to see what they had planned and also easy to see that the boy, Isamu, needed to work on his aim. This was probably why he had launched a good deal more than the girl.

Seeing where the needles landed, Kakashi could see exactly what they planned to do. Isamu had thrown a multitude of weapons near the two boys were sparring while Yakumo had interrupted Sakura's path to the boys. While senbon weren't usual tools in a ninja's arsenal they could be used in a variety of ways. The way the two genins seemed to have used it, the senbon were thrown at an angle and just far enough in the ground that they would trip an unexpecting target.

That was exactly what happened a moment later as Sasuke's foot was caught and he went tumbling down. This of course prompted Sakura to check on her beloved that also sent her to meet the ground. Naruto stood alone confused as he tried to figure out what just happened, but he was not alone for long. The two other genin dropped from their hiding spot and raced towards their down comrades. Yakumo took care of Sakura by placing a small nick from her kunai on her shoulder while Isamu did the same to Naruto before he could react. Sasuke tried to defend himself, but two against one when the one was already down was not good odds as they quickly put scratched on Sasuke as well and then ended up in front of Kakashi.

"Well done you two, I am impressed," Kakashi said and he wasn't one to hand out compliments easily. He knew he would have to pick up his own genin's training even if the two in front of him didn't have the speed to match their skill in stealth, they were still in the upper echelons of genin. "Just how did Anko train you?"

"Let's put it this way Kakashi sensei, last week was the first time we've seen our beds since genin selection," Isamu answered with a little less decorum than was called for. Kakashi was a laid back guy though and was okay with how he was addressed, especially by two that apparently had had a full month of Anko time.

"Kakashi sensei," The loud mouth of Naruto Uzumaki shouted, interjecting himself into the conversation, "What's going on?" While Sakura and Sasuke looked annoyed at the way Naruto had asked, they both had curious stares as well and wanted to know.

"Ah yes, team meet the newest stealth and infiltration team of Konoha," Kakashi introduced the two while leaving out the obvious assassination part to their training. "Their sensei has asked that a few of the other genin senseis allowed her team to practice their new skills. You were chosen as the first targets as I am a former AnBU captain and you all have no designs at the moment to have anything to do with stealth."

Dawning comprehension shown in Sasuke's eyes as the only one who had any experience with the shinobi world beforehand and Sakura they could tell was close to understanding. Naruto on the other hand was completely confused and Isamu let out a small sigh. He knew the boy had been stunted while in the academy, but even after learning of the power he contained and why he was mistreated so, Isamu guessed the boy still hadn't tried to improve himself. As much as he didn't care about what happened to the blonde boy that had all of his grandfather's attention, he was a fellow shinobi of the leaf and therefore, Isamu would point the genin in the right direction later that day.

"So how did we do Kakashi sensei?" Yakumo asked, ready to hear the critique of another jonin.

"Definitely better than expected," Kakashi answered, "I'd put you at mid-chunin in stealth and high genin in speed. I do recommend you work on your aim and there are a few more things that I will pass along to Anko when I see her again. You are dismissed." With a bow Isamu and Yakumo leapt into the trees and back to their sensei. "Now you three, first of all none of you can speak about what just happened until another genin squad speaks to you about their own attacks. Once Anko's genin have gone to the three other teams they will occasionally be a part of our training. Now get back to work."

A few minutes after they had left Isamu and Yakumo landed in front of their sensei who was lazing about in one of the many branches of the trees around their training grounds. "Brats!" She perked up as she saw her genin. She hadn't realized how bored she would be after training her cute little students for a month straight and not allowed back into T&amp;I except for high profile targets. It had only been an hour, but boy was she bored. "So how'd it go?"

Shaking their heads at their sensei, Yakumo decided to take this one. "I think it went well sensei, Kakashi said he was suitably impressed with our stealth. He also said he would pass on his notes and tips to you later when he saw you."

"Kakashi actually complimented you?" Anko asked. "I'd write that one down kiddos, Kakashi rarely gives out compliments and was always a tough bastard when he was a captain in the AnBU. Anyways, good job brats. I think you are both ready to meet your supplemental teachers and a full two weeks early as well." Her students' eyes lit up in excitement. While they greatly appreciated the training that Anko had given them, there were a few skills that they wanted to learn that Anko only knew the basics to. Anko certainly didn't begrudge them for wanting to branch out. "So here's a list of your teachers and their subjects and you two can decide if you want to go together or separately."

**_Maito Guy- Taijutsu. Has a genin team already so will have to deal with them and his eccentrics._**

**_Yugao Uzuki- Sword Trainer. Member of AnBu and one of the Hokage's personal guards, she won't have much time to teach and when she does she will drill you hard._**

**_Hayate Gekko- Another Sword Trainer. Boyfriend of Yugao, but with a more flexible schedule and training methog._**

**_Kurenai Yuuhi- Genjutsu Mistress. She's willing to try again and really help you Yakumo._**

**_Ibiki Morino- Head of T&amp;I. A master of poisons and interrogation, I do not recommend him as your first teacher even though he is my boss._**

**_Genma Shiranui- Ninjutsu Specialist along with Senbon._**

There weren't a lot of choices currently, but what Anko had handed them was more than enough for fresh genin. "So what do you think?" Isamu asked after they had pondered a moment.

"I think," Yakumo began hesitantly, "I think I want to try and learn from Kurenai again. Kurenai and this Maito Guy in case my illusions ever fell."

"Good choices," Anko nodded to her female student, "And I'm glad you're already thinking ahead. Your genjutsu is amazing with your bloodline, but there's always someone that can break through it. What about you Isamu?"

Isamu looked at the list again before nodding his head. "I need help with my swords and I think Yugao would be the best bet for me. After this last month I don't know if I could handle having things slowed down instead of thrown at me. Plus, I'd like to try with Genma Shiranui as well."

"Sounds good kiddos, I'll try to track them down and see if I can't get a tentative schedule down so we can plan out the day. I still want a few hours of your day so we can continue on what we've been learning and so you can get some missions under your belt so we can finally move up to C-ranks. It's going to be tough, but I'm sure you two can handle it."

"Thanks sensei," The genin chorused.

"Come on, in honor of your first stealth mission we'll break a few minutes early and grab something to eat in town."

Happily chatting with their sensei as they walked through town, they turned into one of the many restaurants owned by the Akimichi in town. Isamu had never really gotten close to Choji while they were in the Academy due to how close he was already to Shikamaru and now he doubted he would ever be close to the boy because of his sensei. Sensei's were thought to be another parent or older sibling for most that went through a shinobi career path and seeing at how close he and Yakumo had gotten to Anko, and each other for that matter, he knew that anyone that would sing praises of Asuma was not going to be close to him.

As if Yakumo could sense where his thoughts had wandered, she asked a rather serious question once their orders were placed. "Isamu, I know you've told us about the law that prevent you from having a last name, but do you know who your parents or grandparents are?"

Isamu sighed and ran his finger through his hair. He knew exactly who had denied him a last name and there were some days he just wanted to shout it out to the world and ruin his family's reputation, but he knew what would happen if he did so. If people actually believed him, then there would be anarchy as their beloved hokage was proven to be a hypocrite and failure. On the other hand, the idea was so unbelievable that he would probably be a laughingstock to anyone he tried to convince. "Yes, well I know who my father is at least and his parents. All I know about my mother was that she worked in the Red Light District."

Yakumo and Anko froze as he mentioned his mother's workplace, instantly knowing just what type of union their friend was from. Sometimes, things happened while on missions when shinobi couldn't use any chakra in order to keep their cover and nine months later something came from that, but to have a child within a village's borders was unheard of. When a shinobi became a chunin in the major villages they were taught a specific set of hand signs that rendered them impotent for a few hours and a chunin was supposed to do the jutsu instinctively even if they were drunk enough to confuse their own gender.

"So do we know your father?" Anko asked trying to move the conversation away from Isamu's mother and ultimately away from the topic though she had enough sense to be more subtle about it.

Isamu looked at his sensei and snorted in amusement. "Yeah, I would say you know him. No you aren't dating him, but you do know of him."

"Do you see them often?" Yakumo asked.

"I see my father few enough times that I'm not sure if it's good or not when we meet. I see my grandfather every day even if I don't talk to him but once a week." It was awkward the first time they had gone into the Hokage's office for one of those stupid missions, but it got easier as no other words were said between the two besides mission reports and Anko generally took care of those. Isamu could see that the Sandaime was struggling with something every time he looked at their team, but had yet to approach Isamu about it.

"How'd you figure out who they were?" Anko couldn't help but to ask. She knew of hard pasts and although she didn't think Isamu had suffered as much as she had her heart went out for her genin. She'd vehemently deny it of course, but that was her prerogative.

"My foster family was good friends with my grandfather and the hokage," He started. "I woke up one night when I was eight or so and they were all in the living room. I learned quite a bit that night and needless to say I was pissed. But, it's life and I'm living with it now. It does answer the questions that most orphans have most of the time and I'll be able to move past it… eventually," He muttered those last words. It was sad that he was the most socially developed member of the team when he thought about his past.

They moved away from the topic as food was delivered and by the end of the meal, while they weren't in the best of spirits it was much better than the start of the meal. His was the first story to be shared and they were a closer team for it. "Alright brats," Anko perked up once they were out of the restaurant, "Time for some more training and I think it's time we add a bit more weight to everything."

Groaning, but knowing that any arguments they had were useless, Isamu and Yakumo took off their outer shirts. What they wore underneath and above their fish net armor was what looked like a form of body armor at first glance. However, it was really a weighted vest that Gai had developed for beginning shinobi years ago. The idea had never caught on, but if one knew about them then Gai would gladly hand however many you needed over.

"Oh, stop your complaining," Anko waved dismissively at them as she added special chakra weights to her genin. They wore more than most of the other genin, granted she didn't know of any other genin besides Gai's clone that wore weights, but it was nothing too serious. "Now that you two are up to the weights I want you to be, I will allow you both to remove them every three days and get used to your increased speed. You won't be beating any jonin in foot races, but I doubt you'll have problems from any genin in Konoha beyond two or three." She had heard about a young medic ninja that was quite fast. "Now come on, we have some training to do!"

**A/N: So second chapter and I think I like the training better than last time. Yakumo and Isamu are stealth specialists taught by Anko so until they go up against teams of Chunin or a Hyugga that always has their eyes turned on, they will encounter no difficulty. They are going to be better than the rest of the Konoha Twelve until the timeskip as nobody actually took their training seriously, so deal with it. Also, I have decided that the entire group will be two years older than canon. **


	3. T&I: Training and Information

Isamu landed in the training ground and looked around slowly for his new teacher. It hadn't taken long for Anko to get ahold of everybody that they wanted to get in touch with and now he was at his first sword practice with Yugao. He didn't have to wait long as the only other purple haired kunoichi landed in front of him with not a sound. "So you're one of Anko's students," Yugao said sizing Isamu up, "I'm sorry." Her joke amused Isamu and he easily returned her smile.

"Good, you still retain your sense of humor. As Anko must have mentioned I am apart of AnBU and thus cannot always be here to teach you. When I am here I expect your full attention as I will drive you hard. Until I tell you to I want you to show up each day with whatever weights Anko has put you on even if it is your day without them. A sword user needs to be a lot faster than a ninjutsu user and weights definitely help. I heard from Anko that you also use a different sword type than most of us, care to show me."

Knowing it was his first order, he smoothly unsheathed his two swords and without pausing latched the two together to form his double bladed weapon. He didn't know why at the moment, but his heart was racing as he rested with his sword in his palm and in front of Yugao. "She was right, it's interesting and I don't think anyone else wields a double bladed weapon like you. I'm also impressed that your sheathes are made for a longer sword rather than the actual blades you own. It usually takes a few years before a sword user discovers the trick."

"So can you teach me, even though I wield a different blade?" Isamu asked a little nervous in losing a teacher.

"Oh yeah, it'll be no problem until you get into the more advanced stuff, but I don't see that happening any time soon so it will be alright. Now, I want to see just how much I have to work with so we are going to be having a little spar." Another ninja dropped down beside Yugao, this one a male. "This is Hayate and he'll be observing you today as well. If I'm ever gone on a long term mission and he's in the village, he will be taking over your teaching."

"It's nice to meet you," Hayate coughed out and Isamu dismissed it as just bad timing. When Hayate coughed again and Yugao sent a worried look towards her boyfriend, he knew it wasn't as simple as that.

"Good to meet you too Hayate," Isamu bowed. "Is that a medical condition or something from a gas based attack?" He asked idly remembering a book that he had bought off a wandering peddler.

"Medical condition that runs in the family," Hayate managed to get out before coughing again.

"Oh, did the doctors ever give you a treatment from Water Country to help?" Isamu asked and the older shinobi stilled. "I bought this book from a traveling merchant at the fair last year and it said it had 1001 cures for the common sicknesses in Water country and yours definitely sounds like something in the book."

"Do you still have the book?" Yugao asked, trying not to get her hopes up too much. Isamu's book might have been things that the doctors of Konoha had tried already, but there may be something in that book that the doctors hadn't thought of or a home remedy that would at least make her boyfriend a little healthier.

"Oh yeah, it's somewhere in my apartment," Isamu shrugged, "You can come by tonight and pick it up if you want. I live by Anko and Kurenai if you don't know where I am."

"Very well, but enough of this. It's time for you to spar."

Yugao only gave the young genin a moment to prepare before she attacked. She went much slower than what she could go of course, but faster than she had expected. It seemed that her new student had a modicum of skill with the blade unlike some that picked up a sword and thought that instantly made them invincible. As Yugao swung her sword down in an attempt to hit him on his shoulder she could see a brief moment of indecisiveness before he moved his body out of the way instead of blocking with his blade. That was good, though she would have to train the indecision out of him. It seemed that a lot of people that took up a weapon forgot that they had other skills to use. Most of the time weapon users trained themselves to the point of dependence on everything sharp or blunt that if they survived long enough they would have to train to become independent again.

As she swung down once again she also noticed that when he blocked with his blade, he didn't try to meet edge on edge and instead moved to block at a steep angle, something that while coupled with his moving pegged him as a natural with the sword. Not a genius level of course, but someone that would be a pleasure to teach. Plus, it helped save the blade as it was harder to break when at an angle. Breaking apart from their locked blades and jumping back a bit to avoid an errant strike she signaled for Isamu to start.

"You are not as bad as I thought you would be, that is for sure," Yugao said as Isamu caught his breath. "There are plenty of things we can work on, but you have an instinctual grasp of some of the basic concepts that will make training a lot easier. Anything you want to add Hayate?"

"I noticed the same things you did Yugao, but we definitely need to work on your footwork. Mastering a blade requires the skills of a dancer and right now you are poor at both, which is expected from someone who is just learning how to wield a blade."

Isamu didn't argue with the two as he knew that he had a lot to learn, something that his new teachers noticed and respected. Though he was quite proud when Yugao said he was a natural in some areas, something also noted but they didn't begrudge him of that. "Right then, I have another question before we begin training," Yugao said gaining Isamu's attention. "Has Anko shown you tree climbing or water walking yet?"

"Yes she has, her own personal exercises as well," Isamu answered while rubbing an older scar on his leg. When Yakumo and Isamu had the basics of those exercises down, Anko had started throwing sharp things at her students to make the techniques instinctive as well as training for dodging. The two of them hadn't come out unscratched and Anko would usually compliment them on their creative cursing.

"I see," Yugao said with a trace of amusement in her tone. She was a close friend of Anko's and knew exactly what Isamu was talking about. In the back of her mind she still couldn't believe the Hokage had given Anko a team and had privately agreed with Kurenai's accusations when she had heard them. "Then, the katas that we teach you will be better if you perform them while either tree climbing or water walking. Not only will it help you with your chakra control, but it will help drive in any mistakes as you'll lose focus if you mess up at first. Now come on, let's see how far we can push you."

-Finding a Name-

When Isamu found Yakumo at the training ground the next morning, he felt a bit guilty at the glee when he saw that she was as beat up as he felt. "You too huh?" He sent towards Yakumo.

"And so much green!" Yakumo complained. Kurenai had been delighted to help Yakumo with genjutsu, but since it was mostly a mental discipline the two could meet in more comfortable settings and had decided on the weekends when Kurenai usually gave her team the days off. It helped that Kurenai's team was purely clan heirs who spent the weekend on clan related training. Anko usually made weekends half days or purely focused on missions so they could have somewhat of a break. So, with Kurenai on the weekends, Yakumo was sent to Gai.

Anko dropped in on her two genin and smiled as they lethargically turned to greet her. "Well good morning to the both of you as well," She laughed. "I take it the first day of training was tough? I thought you would be prepared after hell month with me."

"Sensei," Yakumo answered first, "You pushed us in every skill you could think of and made sure to work all of our body. Gai sensei was merciless in focusing on just my punches yesterday and my arm feels numb at the moment."

"What she said," Isamu agreed, "Yugao and Hayate told me I needed to build up the muscles in my arm and added more weight on top of what you gave me."

"Oh goody," Anko smirked, "I'll have to send them some fruit baskets or something," She chuckled at her students' glares and feeble killing intent. Come on," Her mood turned somber as she remembered what she had planned for today, "I have something to show you guys and unfortunately it the darker side of being a shinobi."

Warily glancing at each other they quickly followed their sensei back to the village and into an unassuming building that both Isamu and Yakumo had passed many times without a second glance. Once inside they came face to face with an elderly lady that smiled at Anko. She tried to stop the two genin, but a few gestures had her backing off. It was only when they passed by the little old lady that they noticed signs of a genjutsu as well as the multitude of weapons she was sitting on. "What…"

"Not here," Anko said cutting them off, "You'll understand soon enough." Her words left them confused and when a trapdoor was opened they were even more confused as they followed their sensei down the dark path. When they reached the next light and heard a scream of pain, they were really worried. "Welcome to my home away from home! Welcome to Konoha's T&amp;I department!"

The genin looked around the department wide eyed, half in fear, half in shock, with a little awe thrown in for good measure. "But why are we here?" Isamu asked the important question.

"You are here because out of the last three years of graduates you two are the only team that has shown any inclination to the true shinobi arts," The scared form of Ibiki Morino answered making the two genin jump. "Stealth and trickery are a shinobi's bread and butter and yet everyone that graduates in this village wants to know the flashiest jutsu or become the most well-known 'heroes' of their generation." Ibiki spat the word heroes as if it was a curse.

"Listen guys," Anko said in a caring tone that she rarely used, "I gave you the choice of learning from Ibiki a few days ago and you can still choose him as well, but the way you two are progressing you need to be introduced to what we do here. You never have to partake in the activities, but in the future you will most likely be sent out onto teams with field interrogations."

"Yakumo was it?" Ibiki asked after they had had a few moments to process what Anko had said. "Yakumo, due to your clan's ability to make genjutsu a reality for those under it, this will benefit you if for no other reason to make your illusions more realistic. Let it be known that anything that you hear within these walls should be treated as an S-Class secret until we tell you otherwise." Getting a nod of understanding from Anko's students, Ibiki turned around and motioned the two to follow him. "Today we're going to show you the end result of someone that comes under our care and you should see him break. Isamu you will recognize this victim as one of your academy teachers. He turned traitor and that is all you need to know."

Anko and Ibiki led the two genin into a room that held a two way mirror that looked into a cell with the crumpled form of a man within. If it wasn't for the hair color, Isamu would have been hard pressed to recognize the man. "Who is he Isamu?" Yakumo asked, having not gone to the academy.

"That's Mizuki, he was one of two teachers for the final year in the academy. I had heard rumors of a traitor on the night of graduation, but I couldn't find any proof."

The two fell silent as Anko and Ibiki walked into the room and watched with morbid fascination as Mizuki cringed away from the two of them. It was obvious that Mizuki had been in their tender care for a while now and it was easy to see that he was close to breaking if he hadn't already broken yet. The room caught all the sound in the interrogation and as much as Isamu and Yakumo wanted to look away it was like a train wreck, there was no way they could turn their heads. In what felt like no time at all, but was really half an hour, Anko and Ibiki exited the room and went to collect the genin. Ibiki stopped to talk to the operatives that had been recording the interrogation while Ank made her way to her students.

"So, how was it?" Anko asked, a bit nervous for her students. She had joined T&amp;I because of her anger to her former sensei and the aggression that she seemed to always have thanks to her curse scar. Honestly she didn't want to introduce her students to this part of Konoha and was why she had recommended them not to take Ibiki's offer at first, but when orders come from her boss and Shikaku she wasn't one to argue.

"It was…" Yakumo struggled to answer their sensei.

"It was like a low budget horror movie," Isamu tried to explain, "Horrible to watch, but you just couldn't look away. It was not a fun thing to watch, but since it wasn't actual torture I think we both could stand it." Beside him Yakumo nodded, her demon having shown and performed worse things when she was trapped.

"That's good," Ibiki said breaking into the group. "Those that watched you were impressed that you never looked away. We'll have you come down occasionally for more sensitivity training whenever I or Shikaku determine you need it. While you are still genin you won't come much, but when you are promoted we have plans for you. For what it is worth, I am sorry that you have to deal with this."

"Come on brats," Anko said as she reverted back to her normal self, "As much as I love it here, the scenery leaves a lot to be desired. Besides, I need to get you used to the tougher training if you complain about hurting from your other teachers." Her groaning students were like music to her ears and the other employees of T&amp;I sent commiserative looks towards the genin. They knew just how sadistic she could be. The cackling still freaked out some of the newer recruits to the division.

**A/N: So first off, if you have experience with swords and hate my training, please leave a review telling me where I went wrong or where I could go to get the right instructions. Some of you have asked if this will be like the anime/magna where everybody always forgave and everything was fine in the end and I say nay. It won't be horribly dark, but it will be darker after the Chunin exams. If you have any suggestions feel free to leave a review and remember the poll. **


	4. Folly of a Grandfather

"Another successful mission from Team Anko, Lord Hokage," Anko smiled as they handed in another mission report. The three on the team absolutely despised D-Rank missions, but they had the most successful record by far. Even Kurenai's team had a few complaints that came with the missions as Kiba tried to assert his dominance repeatedly and was an idiot while doing so.

"Ah, good, good," Hiruzen said as he passed the report to Iruka who had volunteered to help with mission reports while the Academy had been let out for break. "It seems you have reached the number required before moving onto C-rank missions. Is that your plan Anko?"

With a nod, Anko answered, "Yes Lord Hokage, I was hoping that you would have a low ranked C mission that I could leave the village with."

The Hokage hummed in thought as he tried to remember the many requests that Konoha had received in the last few weeks. "Off the top of my head, I cannot remember any C's that are not borderline B's, but I will have my staff to check. Come back tomorrow and we will look for something that suits your team. If we cannot find any then you will have first chance at any new C-rank that is given to the village."

The Third Hokage watched as his three subordinates bowed and left the office, his eyes lingering on the form of his grandson. It hurt, seeing the boy nearly every day and not being able to interact with him like he did Konohamaru. Plus, he seemed to always hear about the boy's training and how he progressed so quickly from Yugao. Of course she wasn't telling him that, but AnBU members liked to share stories that didn't involve blood and death and Hiruzen was the one that chose to listen to them. He wanted to celebrate with the boy, congratulate him, teach him a few of the Sarutobi clan moves, but because of his past decisions and his cowardice he did not. It was a miserable existence to see so many of his failures stare at him every day. He was tired of it all and suddenly a flame was lit under the Professor once again. He was going to fix at least one of his mistakes soon.

Isamu found himself wandering the outskirts of the town where he passed many of the training grounds after Anko had dismissed them for the day. It was one of those rare days that Isamu had come to enjoy in the last two months where Anko had barely pushed them beyond the morning warm-ups and mission. She was a hard task master and what most people seemed to forget about her, she was a former apprentice of a Sanin. It didn't matter that her master was a traitor, Orichmaru was a member of the Sanin. Jiraya's apprentice had taken the Hokage's position away from him and his pride would never have let him undertrain someone after that perceived insult. So, with all that in mind, she was a harsh task master, but if one thought about it getting to the level of Kakashi Hatake wasn't a bad thing to get bruised up over.

Speaking of Kakashi, Isamu's wanderings had led him to the Memorial Stone and Team Seven's training ground. Isamu wasn't a regular attendant to the stone there were a few names he liked to find when he passed by. The annoying sounds of Naruto training distracted him from enjoying the peace that any that came to the stone sought out. He watched the orange wearing genin train for a moment and the only thing positive that he could say was that Naruto was determined. He could see traces of a style that would be something frightening to go against with all those clones of his, but that was a long ways away and right now a fast moving target could handle his fellow genin. Knowing that it was his duty as a fellow shinobi, Isamu sighed and moved to speak.

"You know, you can only get so much better from sparring before you hit a wall," Isamu said, gaining the attention of about half the clones and the original.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he prepared himself for a rant at another person who tried to make fun of his dreams.

"Let me spell it out for you, go to the shinobi library and check out some scrolls to help you. It would be a lot better than hoping to find something out."

"Shinobi library? What's that?"

Isamu stared hard at his classmate and tried to figure out if his fellow fourteen year old was actually serious in his questioning. Seeing that the blonde was indeed clueless, Isamu shook his head and sighed. "Look, I don't really want to deal with this, but go to your sensei and ask about the shinobi library. Since you are a genin you won't get a lot, but I'm sure there's something that can help you."

Naruto's eyes widened as he realized that there was someplace else he could get training from. He probably thought about getting new jutsu and the like, but perhaps his sensei would lead him to what he needed to know. Either way, Naruto left with a quick thanks and a race to find either Iruka or Kakashi.

With Naruto gone, peace and quiet descended on the training ground and Isamu turned back to the memorial stone. The first name he sought out was Kushina Uzumaki, the Habanero of Konoha. Isamu had read about the red head that died the night of the Kyubi attack and she was actually the inspiration for him taking up the sword. While most of the other genin focused solely on the early successes of the Yondaime, there were others in the Third War that had as big an impact as Minato, but people seemed to forget that due to the two battles he singlehandedly won with a flashy jutsu.

His next name was a bit more personal to him, Biwako Sarutobi. Like Kushina she had died on October 10th fourteen years ago, though he could never find the reason why. Softly he traced the name of his grandmother and thought how different things would be if she was still alive.

"She would have murdered me if she was still around for the things I did. Me and Asuma," The elderly voice of the Hokage broke across Isamu's thoughts. "Your grandmother was a spitfire that was never afraid to call me out on any bad decision that I had made or was about to make." Hiruzen sighed, "Perhaps that the reason why I keep screwing up."

Isamu stayed silent, not daring to speak and ruin the moment as it was. His grandfather was actually speaking to him, speaking to him outside of official shinobi work. While he despised what his grandfather and father did to his younger self, he would not deny that if they apologized and were willing to show effort he would refuse a relationship with them. He had researched the law that kept him from a last name and knew that there was no reversing it, but that did not mean the clan could not act friendly with him. Despite everything, he had been on his own for three years now.

"That was a good thing you did for Naruto there, pointing him to extra training. Not many people think about the library until they hit chunin level."

Isamu flushed with a little bit of pride and shrugged his shoulders, "He's a fellow shinobi that has had a shit hand dealt to him so far. We're probably the class with the most potential and I refuse to let any of it be wasted." He may have hated how much attention Naruto received from his grandfather, but he was a fellow shinobi and more importantly orphan.

"And yet not all would see it that way. After all, did you see his teammates around trying to point out these things? I am glad you are more like your grandmother than me and Asuma in that aspect at least." Without actually saying anything the Sandaime had moved to the one bridge in the training ground and both he and Isamu were looking into the slow moving stream.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my tenure as Hokage, but it was my second term that everything started to fall apart. It started the very night of the Kyubi attack and seems to be every other day. The biggest mistake I think I've made though is casting out my own family for simply being born at the wrong time."

"But why now?" Isamu asked the all-important question. "Why now after fourteen years when you probably could have waited another ten and I most likely wouldn't have been inside the village anymore? Is it because you have to see me every day?"

"Yes," The elderly Sarutobi let out with a sigh, "It shames me to admit it, but yes. I've seen you almost every day since Anko has allowed your team to take missions and now I hear about you almost every day as Yugao praises your dedication and growing skill and I can no longer simply ignore a problem that is easily fixed. You are the only one that I can fix my mistake on and before I die I am going to be damned if I leave this within my reach."

Isamu stared at the Hokage through the reflection of the stream and could see the emotion behind his words. Nodding, he spoke, "Well thanks for the honesty. Of course you can't just wash away fourteen years of selective ignorance, especially the last three years with being alone, and I highly doubt we will ever have a grandfather type relationship like what you have with Konohamaru… or Naruto."

The Sandaime had been a shinobi for a long time and had many injuries that could have ended his career if he had been unprepared and now he knew how one would have felt if it had landed. Hiruzen Sarutobi should have known Isamu would have pointed out the two boys, especially his cousin who had everything that should have been Isamu's. He didn't let it show on his face, but internally he was doubled over. "I see," He said, his tone a touch more clipped than it was previously, but it was the only sign that he had been affected by Isamu's words. "I can't say I'm disappointed, but it was to be expected and I'm glad you haven't immediately dismissed me. I'm also a ninja, so I brought bribes to show that I at least want to see you grow." Hiruzen pulled out three scrolls that were labeled with a different discipline of the Shinobi life. "You may choose one, after all I have to have something for later bribes and yes these are my personal notes."

Isamu was shocked at the gift and pleasantly surprised. The Sandaime was known as the professor off the battlefield for a reason and people would kill to have a chance to study them. It was rumored that that was another reason why Asuma left the village in the first place as his father hadn't shared all his notes with the young jonin. It was an honor to see the notes and he was even more surprised when the three scrolls were on disciplines he hadn't studied before. It was obvious that the Hokage had at least done his research on what Isamu was learning. Taking a look, Isamu smiled as he plucked the smallest scroll from Hiruzen's grasp.

The Sandaime let one of his eyebrows rise, "Seals? I did not know anyone in your age group had an interest in seals."

"I maintain a healthy curiosity in them," Isamu answered, ignoring the chance to twist the knife in his grandfather's gut more. He didn't enjoy learning that his family didn't want him and wasn't over it, but he could wait until the bastard before him did something else. "I have no aspirations in being a master, but knowing what I may face one day and perhaps create a few of my own is something that I can strive for. There are just so few books that can set you on the path and the only known seal user of this village is never here."

"That is true enough," The Sandaime said as he tucked the other two scroll back into his robe. "As much as I want to continue this, I do know that pushing too hard and too quickly would make it awkward for the both of us. I will see you again Isamu," He said before performing the shunshin and leaving the training ground.

"And how long before you speak to me rather than at me like a Hokage to his soldier?" Isamu muttered under his breath. It was only guilt that had brought his grandfather to him, so Isamu believed and the Hokage had admitted, but now that the Hokage had talked to him, what would happen? Isamu had been scorned too many times by a Sarutobi to hold any hope for them. He also found it sad that his grandfather was the one to approach him and not his father who only complimented him and Yakumo when they had easily subdued his team. He hadn't even picked up his team's training like he had heard Kakashi had. It was actually disappointing to know that the crazy Snake Bitch of Konoha was the only one that seemed to care about her student's advancements in this graduating class. He had heard about Gai's training method and definitely did not want to experience it full time. Perhaps when he freed up a bit of his day he would approach Gai for help with his Taijutsu. He knew where he was lacking even before Anko beat it into his head, but there were only so many hours in the day and he needed time to rest and recover.

In his wanderings, Isamu passed by a rather popular barbeque restaurant and noticed that all of Team Ten was currently inside. Shaking his head in wonderment, Isamu quickly passed before he grew contemplative or angry. They weren't the worst team of rookies, that honor belonged to Team Seven, but they certainly didn't act like shinobi. When he and Yakumo had been assigned to attack their team, they had watched as Ino had practically begged Asuma for training for an hour, granted for the wrong reasons, while Asuma continued to play shogi with Shikamaru and Choji continued to stuff his face with tons of junk food. It was disheartening to say the least and Isamu had to wonder how Asuma hadn't been reported and how they had all passed their genin exam.

In truth, he wondered how any of them had passed the genin exam when Anko had gotten ahold of him that first month. Anko had bluntly stated that his training was pathetic and while he was physically stronger than Yakumo and had more stamina that was about all he had going for him. The academy had fallen a lot from when Anko was a student there and there seemed to be no end in sight for the decline. If Kurenai's team was anything like the other two, he felt for Hinata and Shino and feared for the future of the village.

**A/N: Well that's that. I had four chapters ready to post when I started the rewrite, so most of the updates will now come every 1-2 weeks. Sorry about that. This is also about as close as Isamu will get to the Hokage as Hiruzen won't do anything to show he is serious before his death. I'll leave the poll up for another few days, but at the moment Temari is winning the voting. If there's anything you want to see happen in this story, then leave a review. If you have a question about something specific that I have already posted then I'd rather you send a PM. **


	5. Heart of the Problem

A loud crack disturbed whatever animals hadn't been chased off at the beginning of their spar as Isamu blocked one of Yakumo's kicks with his vambrace. They were annoyed to put it bluntly as it had been a week since the Hokage had given them first choice of a C-rank mission only to turn around and give Team Seven a mission to Wave as soon as they complained. They were respectful to the old fool that wore the hat, but their spars were a bit more vicious as they took their frustrations out on each other. Anko watched from nearby as her students fought to make sure they didn't go too far. While she may have looked calm on the outside, inside she was probably more frustrated that her students because of another broken promise. Kakashi's team hadn't met all of the requirements to be granted a C-rank, but still were able to get one.

Pushing Yakumo's leg off of him and dodging her follow up kick, Isamu laid on his own attack. Being left handed, he sent a punch from that side out first that Yakumo smoothly dodged. He didn't give her time to counterattack however as he sent a dozen quick punches her way to keep her off balance. For the most part it worked, but where Isamu had focused on sword fighting and ninjutsu in his supplemental lessons, Yakumo had worked with Konoha's hand to hand master and it showed when she went back on the offensive. Brushing aside his last punch instead of dodging, she went in for her own quick jabs. She was amazingly strong, but thanks to her anatomy lessons with Anko she knew where to aim and quickly took advantage of all the fleshy spots that would cause the most pain. Isamu was able to block a fair number of the hits, but she was able to land a few that were not so easy to brush off.

"Alright you brats, I think we'll call this spar," Anko said, interrupting the fight before they got heated. It was fine for them to have a good rivalry, but letting their matches move to the passion the two possessed more than a handful of times per month was asking for trouble. "I think we can rule this fight a win in Yakumo's favor which is a lot better than at the beginning of your training." Since Yakumo had started training with Gai, she was now winning one in every three matches of pure taijutsu and each of their matches was hard fought.

"Since we aren't on a mission today, we will be testing the last rookie team. This should be the hardest test for you guys since Team Eight was designed to be a tracker team with a Hyuga with them, so they should be able to spot you and react. How they actually do, well we will see." Anko really hoped that her friend had pushed her students, but she also knew that it was unlikely even if Kurenai was a natural teacher. Her friend was only a new jonin and still intimidated by the clans to really push her students yet.

As they jumped from tree to tree, Isamu and Yakumo were both disappointed at Team Eight. They truly weren't trying that hard and still none of their fellow genin had noticed something was amiss, even with Kurenai giving them heavy hints. They would have to speak to Anko about getting chunin to help them out in their training until the teams improved.

Dropping down, they made quick work of Hinata and Kiba along with Akamaru who wasn't much more than a puppy at the moment. However, when they reached Shino, they were pleasantly surprised to see he was prepared for them. Or as prepared as one could be for a surprise attack. A few of his bugs were able to land on the two of them as he dodged the first few strikes before they were able to land a blow on him. When Shino was finally tagged, Isamu and Yakumo broke off and appeared before Kurenai who was quickly joined by Anko.

"Tougher than usual brats?" Anko asked.

"One of them at least fought back, though I would blame his upbringing more than anything," Yakumo answered. "He's an Aburame and thus suited for ninja life."

"Fair enough. This will be the team that we work with the most so you might as well get used to the area. You other brats, did you notice these two were here?" Anko called to Team Eight who were just now realizing what had happened.

"We did not," Shino answered for the team as he accepted the paste that offered to him by Hinata. He had heard what Anko had said and although no one else could tell, Shino was excited. He had nothing against Kurenai as a sensei as she was effective, but she did not challenge the three of them like he wanted. He knew what his fellow classmate and the girl beside him were training in as his father had mentioned it in passing and was glad to see they would have someone to train their tracking skills in.

"Anko, you were supposed to wait for my signal," Kurenai hissed as she made sure her students were okay.

"If we had waited any longer, I'm fairly sure my ass would have fallen asleep. I gave you twenty minutes of hint giving before I decided it was a lost cause. Honestly, no one else tried to warn their genin."

"Well I…" Kurenai blushed a little and spluttered. She had heard how Anko's team had completely decimated the other rookie teams on their first go and she had really wanted to show off. It was cheating, sort of, but hey they were ninja.

"Anyways," Anko said turning towards Team Ten, "You brats will be seeing a lot of my brats from now on. They are the only stealth team near your age and as a tracker team their training is just as good for you as it is them. Understand?" Getting nods from the three, even if Hinata's was hesitant and shaky, she turned back to her students. "Alright, it's time for us to go see Ibiki again so meet up at the building." Kurenai wanted to say something, but by the time Anko's words had processed in her mind, Team Eleven had left the training field.

"So how do you know if your subjects reveal the truth or not?" Isamu asked after Ibiki finished up with his last prisoner for the day. It was much easier, but easily more horrifying to watch Ibiki perform rather than Anko as he simply broke his victims mind. Anko was able to perform the same type of torture, but she had a bit of aggression to work out every now and then and her victim tended to bleed… a lot.

"There is always a chance that we receive false information from our prisoners, but unless the situation is time sensitive we tend to bring the subject back in for questioning and then compare the answers. There's room for a little variation, but if there are a lot of differences within their stories it's a sure sign that they lied. Then we go back and start it all over again and try to get every truthful thing we can get out of them. It's tedious work on some of the harder cases, but if we break them down far enough a Yamanaka member can come in and sift around to find the truth."

"So does that mean those less susceptible to genjutsu are also more resistant to the mind walking that the Yamanaka clan can perform?" Yakumo asked.

Ibiki scratched his chin briefly before nodding his head, "That's a good correlation to draw," He admitted. "There are instances where it doesn't work out that way of course, but it's a good guideline to follow. Of course this also falls under the oath of secrecy that we have you two in since we are discussing a prominent clan in the village." As the two nodded their acceptance, Ibiki cracked a rare smile, "I'm glad you two are asking questions though. Asking questions and making connections seems to be a rare art form in recent graduates."

"I've actually got a question about that if you don't mind," Isamu spoke up. "We dealt with the last of the rookies this morning and beyond Shino Aburame, no one was able to even react to our sudden appearance. Sensei has said a lot about how far the standards of the academy had fallen, but I didn't realize the teachings of jonin sensei's had fallen as well. Why is that?"

Everyone in the current room around the genin tensed slightly. Those in T&amp;I and even some in AnBU knew why standards had fallen so and almost all of them had reached the conclusions themselves or had an angry relative muttering where they could hear. To tell two genin though that had already been harmed by the decisions of those in charge was something that none of them had expected to deal with and no one was sure how to handle it.

After a few minutes of silent conversation where the young genin were now shifting nervously, an older shinobi spoke up. "You might as well tell them Ibiki, Anko, they've already discovered how far we've fallen. If we don't tell them, they may research and find out around people that buy too much into the Kool-Aid."

Sighing, Anko rubbed her face tiredly and grabbed a chair to sit in front of her students. "There's a lot of blame to go around and most people want to go after Itachi because he was the last so called genius to graduate early or the Civilian Council as they've been trying to relax the curriculum. Those are fine points of course, but our current problem really rests with the current Hokage." She was ready to argue with her students and make them see what she was talking about when they started spouting off denials, but they sat there calmly.

"Okay, why do you say that?" Isamu asked with Yakumo supporting her teammate and friend.

Shaking off her shock, Anko settled down to explain. "It honestly started just at the end of the Third Shinobi War. Minato Namikaze was learning how to take over as the new Hokage, but the Sandaime was still in control and he decided that the war time curriculum was no longer needed. This wasn't a bad decision in itself as there had been a few times where Konoha was on peace time setting, but the Sandaime was more of an idealist than his predecessors. It wasn't bad at first, he extended the time for graduation and put more focus on theoretical knowledge than practical."

"It was after the Kyubi that things really took a turn for the worse," Ibiki said taking over the story. "We don't know what happened, but something must have scared Hiruzen Sarutobi because he never fought the council's wishes. They wanted to lower the standards so more civilians could pass and he allowed them to do so even though it hurt the actually competent graduates. We may have the numbers that we had just before the demon attack, but the genin and chunin that we have are shit. I doubt we will get another handful of jonin before you two and that Aburame child. Your Nara classmate will probably be promoted that far as well, but it usually takes something serious for a Nara to work that hard. If we can't revamp the system, I highly doubt we will survive much longer as one of the great five."

Well that was a depressing thought for the two genin, especially Isamu. To think that he might have fallen into that trap if his grandpa had actually acted like a grandpa and not something that Isamu had yet to come up with a word for. "But what's so different about the academy?" Yakumo asked. "I never went, so I have no idea how it works in the first place."

"Well, like I said before," Anko answered, "It's mostly theoretical work now in the academy. When I had started there were opportunities for different specializations. You would have been able to work on your swordsmanship while in the academy Isamu instead of getting by on scrolls. That's also how Kurenai is so accomplished with her genjutsu, there was a kick ass teacher there when most of the jonin sensei went through. Those Academy Three everyone had to learn was more of a test to get into the last year and a half in the academy where things really got serious."

"So why do most of the other jonin sensei not train their teams like you, and if you stretch Gai, do? I mean even if the academy is so bad it's proven that you can get us to a qualified level."

"Laziness, the will to follow the Sandaime's orders and allow their students to keep their innocence for far too long. It's not that their all bad teachers, but when the Hokage gives orders they don't think to question it. I'm not saying that you are supposed to question everything your superior tells you, but if something doesn't make sense you need to find the reason why, as long as you aren't in a battle about to die."

The tension that had been building inside the room suddenly disappeared with Anko's last line and everybody let out a small chuckle even if it wasn't too funny. "So we're just stuck with this? Is there not any other in the village that could take the Hokage position?"

"That's another can of worms," Ibiki answered. "There are very few that could hold the Hokage position and put out an effective front for our enemies. Two of those individuals are out of the village and have been for a while and the few others truly wouldn't be good replacements. The only other individual in the village that wants the job would have us at war with every country out there by the end of the year. If Danzo approaches you for training, I want you to run and run far. Don't ask questions here, just know the old war hawk is a lot more dangerous than his outer appearance conveys. Luckily we do have another wind user in our midst or we can send you to Suna if you find an affiliation with wind."

When Ibiki said this, Isamu tried to keep his face as impassive as he could, but on the inside he was screaming to be sent to Suna. He didn't know much about affinities as it wasn't touched in the academy and Anko had barely mentioned it, but he did know who the wind users in the village were. Isamu knew that as he progressed in rank there was more of a chance in working with his sperm donor and if his grandfather still held the Hokage position they would most likely be put together to mend bridges. However, that did not mean he would search out his father for any extra training even if he would most likely have the affinity.

"Anyways," Anko drawled and butted into the conversation, "I am sure we can come back to this topic later, but until then zip it. Now, let's head to the office and see if we can finally get that C-Rank Mission."

As they stepped inside the Hokage's office, Isamu's eyes were once again drawn to their academy instructor. There was no denying to Isamu that Iruka was far stronger than he let his class believe and yet, he stayed a simple teacher. Not only was he a teacher, but he also hurt his students even though it seemed to be hurting them. With as much passion as the man possessed and as much as he wanted to protect his students, it was odd to think that he was barely making sure they would become genin. It was obvious that he firmly believed in the Sandaime's vision.

"Ah Team Eleven, what can I do for you today?"

"Team Eleven requesting a C-mission today Lord Hokage!" Anko replied, crisp and clear and now Isamu and Yakumo could fully appreciate how good she was at her job. Just a few minutes ago she had been badmouthing the man with the large hat.

The Sandaime seemed to not detect the annoyance it was said in either since he had promised Team Eleven their pick of the missions and went about rummaging through the pile of tasks. "Ah here we go," He said at last. "While this type of mission is carried out by our courier ninja it is just a C-rank and thus a good chance to get your feet wet. Team Eleven, you will traveling to…"

**A/N: So, a bit later in the day, but here's the latest update. Some of you have asked what all is going to change thanks to Isamu and I can one thing for certain, not much. At least until the third stage of the exams. If you want to see anything change, then feel free to drop a review and PM. If you want to say how bad this story and chapter are, at least give it in a constructive criticism way as I want to improve! Not really for any of those who say my stories are trash, but for the rest of you. **


	6. Sand and Their Genin

It was different running on the ever shifting sands of Suna than the compact ground of Konoha. Sure, there were pretty decent roads in the country for official travel, but Anko was not one to miss out on a training opportunity. Luckily for Yakumo and Isamu, Anko had already taught the two water walking and sand walking was much easier than that.

Isamu's first thought when he saw the villagers of Suna was depressing. While he couldn't claim Konoha was the greatest in all the land, having not lived anywhere else, he knew that at least their citizens were livelier than this group. It seemed that the village was facing tough economic times and Isamu had a feeling that it had been going on for a while. He wanted to ask, but he wasn't that insensitive and would simply discuss it with Anko when they were out of the village.

Their guides led them through the village and to the tower where the Kazekage quickly waved them in to see them. "What can I do for our friends from the Leaf?" The Kage in front of them asked. He seemed to be the type that was kind and gentle, but visiting the T&amp;I in Konoha had taught the two genin how to see past the masks that were put on by others. What looked like a somewhat warm half smile was what could be determined to be an almost cruel smirk. It was weird to compare this kage to their own, though it did remind the two that there was a reason someone was in the Kage position.

"This," Anko said handing the Kazekage the scroll that was a part of the mission, "Is Konoha's invitation to Suna for the upcoming chunin exams. If your council is available my team is required to wait within Suna for the maximum of four days. If the Suna council cannot decide within this time frame, then Suna either needs to send their own messenger with a reply or allow a Konoha team to travel back here and retrieve your answer."

The Kazekage thought for a moment before coming to a decision. "One of our council members is two days out of the village, but we have already selected the teams ready to go. I offer you Suna's hospitality until the final council member arrives." Signaling, the two genin shouldn't have been surprised to see Suna's equivalent of AnBU drop down in order to hear their Kage's orders. "Retrieve Team Baki, except for Gaara. They will be our guests' guides for their stay here."

Nodding the black ops member vanished and the Kazekage turned his attention back to the Konoha team. "Your guides should be here in a few minutes and they will be aware of their mission. You may wait for them with my secretary." Seeing a clear dismissal for what it was worth, the three Konoha ninja bowed and made their way out of the office.

It was less than half an hour later that the escorts showed up and it appeared that they were a genin team much like the delegation from Konoha though both of the genin were older than Isamu and Yakumo. The older man that had half his face covered with a white cloth spoke up as both teams finished assessing each other. "Welcome Konoha delegates, I am Baki and leader of this genin team. This is Temari and Kankuro, brother and sister and children to Lord Kazekage. We are to be your escorts for the coming week."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Baki," Anko inclined in a small bow, "I am Anko Mitarashi and these are my students Yakumo and Isamu. Thank you for showing us around."

It was hard for the two genin from Konoha to not react to Anko's respectful mode. While she was polite around the Sandaime Hokage, around other jonin of Konoha she earned her name of the Snake Bitch. It was odd yet reaffirmed one of Anko's earliest lessons. Everyone wore masks in their field and the greatest shinobi could be anyone they ever wanted to be without using any sort of chakra. Why the rest of Konoha didn't get this, they didn't know.

"Shall we leave the office? It's not the most comfortable outside, I know, but the room gets a little stuffy after too long within." Baki motioned for the Konoha team to follow behind his genin.

"I wonder if there's a seal or black ops member causing the stuffiness after a certain amount of time," Isamu mused out loud. "I've noticed that even in the temperate Konoha you can start to get a little uncomfortable if you stay there for long."

Baki sent an amused smirk at Isamu, "I wouldn't put it past the Kages. I certainly don't blame them for avoiding the council members." Everybody shared a chuckle as the civilian portion of any village was wildly despised by the shinobi portion of said village. Constantly, the civilian representatives were trying to cut back on shinobi missions and take an even larger portion of the income that came from those missions. They seemed to be a necessary evil, but none of the shinobi looked at them with any warm feelings.

"So how long have you two been genin?" Kankuro asked, also wondering why they were on a team with only two genin. He half thought that perhaps the two were advanced and simply didn't have the time to train up another genin before the next chunin exams.

"Three months?" Yakumo asked Anko and Isamu after first checking with Anko to see if it was acceptable to answer. "Just about three months now. It's been a struggle, but definitely worth it as we routinely beat the other genin team."

Knowing that the girl and boy that they were forced to escort for the next few days were actually competent, at least compared to Konoha shinobi, Temari decided to relax her tough, icy exterior just a bit and join in on the conversation. After all, it wasn't often that someone wasn't scared to approach her, either because of her father or her youngest brother. It also didn't hurt that the boy was cute and she could see him grow into an attractive individual in a few years.

"So does Konoha allow genin to test their chakra affinities?" She asked, curious if they followed the usual standards of affinities due to the land they were born in.

Once again, the two Konoha genin shot a glance towards Anko who gave them the go ahead as it wasn't much of a secret. This time it was Isamu who answered, "Not usually. Most simply wait until they get to the chunin level and are ready to start training for a jonin. Anko sensei thought this rule was stupid though, so we were tested a few weeks ago."

Temari stared at them for a moment, but there was no more information coming and she huffed in frustration. "Well, what are your affinities?!"

Isamu simply smirked, "Well I'm so glad you asked," His smirk widened as the cute blonde growled and the puppeteer chuckled under his breath. "I'm actually a wind user, one of three that know their affinity at the moment. I assume you are one as well, either that or you like clubbing people and if that's the case I'll be on your good side."

Temari sent the boy a half smile that lacked any warmth, but the two seemed to delve into a discussion with their respective affinity. Beside them, Yakumo and Kankuro had also struck up a conversation.

"So it needs a fine sense of control then, or is it simply a beginning practice of shape manipulation?" Yakumo asked as she had been curious about how puppeteers fought as they used charkra strings to maneuver their personalized weapons. "Shape manipulation is a type of chakra control, but it's not the same a genjutsu user would use."

"That's true," Kankuro allowed. "Most times it depends on the experience of the puppet user and who taught them. As you grow more advanced in puppeteering it does become less about shape and more about control. If someone in the corps uses more than one puppet they are close to the level of a genjutsu specialist."

"So do you use illusions?" Yakumo asked, hoping to gain some more ideas for her own arsenal. Everything she had learned from Anko usually shared a snake or torture theme.

Kankuro opened his mouth to answer before closing with a look of pure confusion on his face. "You know, I don't think we have a one that actually uses genjutsu to help them in a battle. I guess since it tends to be so precise that you can't really risk something going wrong with only one hand truly available."

"Oh," She huffed in obvious irritation. It was so hard to get other opinions on genjutsu when no one seemed to use it. Isamu was a good soundboard for ideas, but he was not that helpful when it came to actually creating them. "You could just advance enough for one handed seals. Not the easiest thing I know, but once you perform with more than one puppet you have some time on your hand to practice."

"There is that, but beyond a simple few, Suna doesn't deal much with genjutsu."

"So you are going to be able to eventually fly with your fan?" Isamu asked as Temari was discussing what she could do with her weapon. At her nod, Isamu smiled, "Where do I get one of those and how quick can I get one?"

Temari laughed which drew the attention of both Baki and Kankuro as it was rare to hear Temari laugh. "Every wind mistress says the same thing when they learn about the possibilities of flight. Something tells me you wouldn't really get the most use out of it with those swords on your back. You any decent with those?"

"I'm fair enough," Isamu admitted. "My sword instructor is as big a sadist as my sensei so I have a steady improvement. I'm not getting cut up as much at least." Temari's estimation of these foreigners had steadily rose as they led them around the village. All of the elemental nations had heard of Anko Mitarashi and her love affair with blood and snakes. To survive not only her, but another sadist who came at him with a sword was worthy of respect. The fact that Yakumo hadn't totally dismissed Kankuro with his puppets, which is what most shinobi from other countries did before they were full of poison, just compounded her interest in this two genin cell from Konoha.

Before any of their conversations could continue, a rather large commotion was going on just a few streets down. With civilians running from the scene, the Konoha ninja seemed to just think there was a disturbance between shinobi, but Team Baki was slightly fearful as they knew what was most likely going on. It was no secret who contained their tailed beast, but having actual confirmation could seriously put Suna at a disadvantage. Not at the moment of course, but allies were as fluid as enemies in this world and the winds seemed to be blowing something to them.

Unfortunately for the Suna escorts, they couldn't keep the Konoha team away from the disturbance unless one of the black ops members dropped down and prevented them from seeing what was going on.

Yakumo and Isamu had seen a number of disturbing things thanks to Anko and Ibiki as they toughened them up to the harsh realities of the shinobi world. However, as they lay in their beds at the diplomatic hotel in Suna they were still disturbed by what they saw. Seeing a kid their age with that much control over sand was amazing and slightly frightening, but seeing the same kid effortlessly kill a grown man in cold blood was disturbing. Although they were shinobi and lied and cheated for a living, most tended to live with a certain code and a line in the sand that they did not cross. Although they didn't truly know Temari and Kankuro they were suddenly afraid for their new friends as the killer was their little brother. The two eventually drifted off to an uncomfortable sleep to the rhythmic writing of Anko as she wrote down her report for the first day in Suna.

**A/N: Yeah, I know. Almost a month and I come up with this? I apologize that it took so long, but I have had difficulty with the wifi in my apartment at college. Hopefully, I can get back to updating every two weeks, but I hold no promises. Next chapter will be the start of the chunin exams and I'll go ahead and warn you that Isamu and Yakumo will have an easy time the first two tasks. Let me know what you think. **


	7. Next Up, Change!

Yugao paused the spar as she noticed a hawk circling overhead before nodding to herself. Isamu didn't know why she had stopped, but he gladly took a breather and tried to stem the blood flow from some of the larger gashes. He couldn't even blame Yugao for the cuts as she always fought just a bit above his level and only nicked him when he made a rather large blunder. He was just glad that it was only a few cuts instead of his body being covered like it had been when he first started training under her. It didn't make it hurt any less though.

"Right then," Yugao said and Isamu tensed up for another round. "That's enough for today as all jonin and above now have a meeting with Lord Hokage. I want you to remove your weights and not put them back on until Anko tells you to. You have the rest of the day off as does Yakumo and Anko will be able to find the two of you if she needs to. Have fun!" With that she vanished and Isamu was left staring bemusedly at the spot his sensei had vanished. It wasn't like he didn't know what was happening, Anko having told them all the signals for the approaching Chunin exams weeks ago.

Sheathing his swords, Isamu made his way to the village gate. With the chunin exams only a few days away, foreign teams would be arriving soon and this was probably the best time to gather data on the visiting teams before they put up their guard. "Hey Isamu," Yakumo said as she slid up to him, "You going to the gates as well?"

Isamu chuckled while nodding, "I think Anko's lessons have been taken to heart by us and she has firmly started us on the path of nonfunctioning members of polite society. Maybe Temari and Kankuro will be here as well." The four genin had hit it off in the days the Konoha team had been in Suna and exchanged letters every week. Nothing deep and meaningful was shared as they were still just new friends and everything was screened when it came from shinobi.

"Oh yes, me and Kankuro can't wait to watch the two of you ogle each other every chance you get," She teased her friend who turned a decent color of red. It was true that Isamu had a rather large crush on Temari and all the signs pointed to her reciprocating those feelings, but for now it was just fond gazes sent their way. Isamu was only twelve and while the mentality of a shinobi was much different than a civilian's there were some unspoken limits to what you could and could not do. One of them was dating before you were around the age of fourteen and/or a chunin.

Shrugging to try and regain some control and pushing his teammate, the two continued their way to the gates. Just as they were about to turn the last corner before the main entrance, they heard a very familiar voice and decided to see just what type of problem he was causing. When they arrived, the two noticed that their new friends from Suna were there as well as Naruto and Sakura along with Konohamaru. A second glance also revealed Sasuke in the tree branch blow them and who they assumed to be the Sand Siblings third teammate.

Switching over to a sign language that was unique to the two of them, they discussed what they saw. 'So Kankuro is already scouting the competition?' Isamu queried.

'It seems that way,' Yakumo answered. 'I don't see how else he could be so stupid as to attack in broad daylight.'

'True, I'm still impressed with his acting skills. Though with who their father is, I really shouldn't be. Can you sense the bloodlust coming from the redhead?' Isamu signed.

'It's impressive to say the least. Sensei has let us feel her own, but to be able to form so much at such a young age, it's no wonder that we didn't see him while we were in Suna. It seems to be contained as well, behind a calculating mind. Much different than Anko's pure bloodlust.'

"You two can come down as well," The red head called out and surprised the two. They weren't actively trying to hide, but it was rare that a chunin spotted them if they were not drawing attention to themselves and a genin was unheard of so far.

"I see you two are making yourselves at home," Yakumo smiled as she landed in front of the team from Suna. The two also shared smiles and Temari sent a look towards Isamu that had Kankuro shaking his head. "But really, attacking the Hokage's grandson?"

Kankuro shrugged as he unceremoniously dropped the young boy to the ground. "Anyone would have worked just fine, but this was convenient. I do have to wonder about your village security however if this is his grandson and there are no guards around."

"Down boy," Yakumo said, "They're all probably following the senseis. But, since you are here we can exchange the same curtesy you showed us while in Suna. Any place you particularly wan to see?"

Team Seven had been forgotten by this time and while Sakura was perfectly fine with this as Team Eleven constantly made a mockery of the team every time they had joined them for training. Plus, the newcomer terrified her for some reason that she truly could not understand. Unfortunately, that did not extend to her male teammates and Naruto was the first to make his displeasure known. "Hey wait a minute. Who the hell are you people?" He asked pointing at the Sand Siblings, "And why are you so nice to them?"

Isamu stared at the blonde for a moment as he continued to shove his finger in their face before speaking, "First of all, it is extremely rude to point at someone so I'll ask you to put your finger down before you lose it." Naruto quickly complied. "And though it is none of your business, we met two of the three while we were in Suna the first time. Although I haven't officially met Gaara yet, the offer is still open to him." Although Team Eleven was uneasy with being around the redhead, they could grow used to it for their new friends.

"I could use a bite to eat," Temari volunteered and then looked to Gaara for his input. Temari could admit that she was scared of her little brother as was most of Suna. It was just his constant output of bloodlust unnerved everybody and while he didn't go out of his way to find someone to kill, if he was sufficiently annoyed there would be little left to identify the victim.

"Seafood would be preferable," Gaara said in his usual monotone. Even though he was a bland insomniac he would not pass up an opportunity for what could be considered a delicacy in Suna.

"Then have we got a restaurant for you," Isamu smiled, glad that he had been able to break the ice with the last of the Sand siblings. "So Temari, have you learned how to fly yet?" He asked as the group of five made their way further into the village completely ignoring Team Seven and Isamu's cousin. While Sakura was relieved and Konohamaru didn't care, the two male genin seethed at being ignored, which was one of the first things they had agreed on.

==Finding a Name===

"You all know why you are here, the Chunin exams has once again come to our village. Your assignments will be handed out shortly, but before we get to that, are there any nominations from our genin teams for this year?"

A few of the older genin teams were nominated as did Gai before they reached the rookie teams. Bets were exchanged between the other jonin as there was always one rookie team that was nominated and they usually always ended up worse for wear. "I nominate Team Seven, consisting of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki." Before the money could change hands though both Kurenai and Asuma spoke up and nominated their teams.

"Well this is a surprise, but if you firmly believe they can compete then it is best that they have their first time in their home environment so to speak. Well if that's all the genin teams then-"

"Wait Lord Hokage, you did not allow me to nominate my team," Anko said politely, though she was fuming on the inside. Already her team was being shortchanged in the missions department and she would be damned if she let the Hokage stopped her from volunteering them for the exam. They were more than ready for the test.

"I am sorry Anko, but I thought with only two genin that you might wish to wait until they are better trained up. Surely you don't want any harm to befall them," He said in his usual easy going tone.

"If that is what you think Lord Hokage then I highly recommend you keep the other three rookie teams as well as Gai's out of the exam as well. My team regularly trounces each of these teams when they go through various exercises." She delivered this in a calm manner, but on the inside she was laughing smugly. It would be almost impossible for the hokage not to give permission now that that little tidbit was out there for the rest of the jonin.

"Very well," Hiruzen nodded and marked another note down on his paper, much to the visible displeasure of Iruka. The scared chunin wouldn't say anything this time however, as he was scared of Anko and the hokage had made his opinion known. "If that is all, then your assignments…"

==Finding A Name==

"Alright brats," Anko said as she waited for her students the next morning at their usual meeting time, "You both know that the chunin exams start in three days and you both know that I plan on nominating you two to take the tests. However, I want to be absolutely sure that you can handle what the exam is likely to throw at you. To do this, we are having a spar this morning, without any of your weight holding you back and no restrictions on your attacks. I want you to come at me with the intent to kill, otherwise you won't survive."

It was a few minutes later when the two genin from team eleven faced their sensei in the open part of the training ground and both were a bit nervous in anticipation. Anko had tested them a few times of course to gauge their progression, but it was always with the knowledge that she would limit herself to a level only just above their own. Now, they knew that she would be pushing the boundaries of what could be considered a decent chunin and might move to the boundaries of chunin and jonin.

There was no signal for the fight to start, but they all moved at the same time when each had reached a certain zone in their mindset. It was a straight taijutsu fight at the start of it and the two genin were reminded just how good their sensei really was. While they were two and proficient at taijutsu, neither focusing heavily on the subject, Anko was able to dodge and block their attacks easily, giving her own when she felt like it.

In a tandem attack that partners train years to achieve and the two genin were extremely lucky to replicate, Isamu managed to land a glancing kick to Anko's midsection. That seemed to be the signal for the next portion of the spar to begin. Instantly all three began forming handsigns for their own jutsu. Anko was finished with her handsigns faster than her students, but only just and the earth walls from the genin sprang up just in time to block the decently sized fireball. With the small dust cloud giving them a brief respite, the two genin sprang into action. Isamu quickly drew his swords and snapped them into what was becoming his signature weapon while Yakumo wove a small illusion over the two that would put their perceived position six inches to the left. It was an easily broken illusion, but something that gave them a few seconds that could be the difference in battle.

Just as the genin finished their preparation, Anko burst through the dust and sent a dozen pointy objects at the two. Yakumo simply dodged while Isamu added a bit of wind chakra to his blade, having passed a few of the basic exercises, and knocked the weapons away. They had learned the folly of blocking the weapons close to their body when under an illusion and now it was simply instinctive to do so. This didn't even phase Anko as she once again moved through the motions of a fireball jutsu. Luckily, Anko had taught them both a few simple jutsu from each element so they wouldn't be caught off guard and Yakumo took the initiative to douse the flames with a water jutsu. This gave Isamu time to run towards his sensei, keeping in mind that he was supposed to be six inches to the right, and right through the area that the two jutsu collided.

The steam was hot, there was no questioning this in Isamu's mind, but it wasn't any more scalding than the hot springs and although he despised water that hot it was easily brushed aside. Anko was a bit farther than he had expected her to be as he passed the collision point, but he was ready for this. With Yakumo coming in from the right Anko was forced to dodge the blade by moving left and actually stepped in the way of the blade. His sensei wasn't a jonin for no reason however and managed to avoid a possibly fatal blow, but not enough to completely avoid the blade. Isamu was able to land a cut, shallow as though it may be, and the exercise was called to a halt by Anko.

"Well done brats," She smiled at her students, "Although you two still aren't up to a high chunin level individually, I have no doubt you'll be able to progress to the third stage with no problem. So, here are the forms," She said handing them what was needed, "Fill those out and show up in two days to academy room 301. Tomorrow is a day of rest and the most I want you to do is your daily run, without weights, and prepare for a week long mission. I'll be rooting for you brats."

Isamu and Yakumo took the papers and looked up to their sensei with a smile on their face and a fire in their eyes. They would do this.

**A/N: It's the next chapter guys. I didn't put a meeting with Gaara in Suna, because I don't want to change canon too much until after the second part of the exams. However, I did change Gaara from a blood crazed psychopath to a blood crazed calculating psychopath. I just don't see how Suna didn't kill Gaara if he was really as bad as the anime depicted him as, since a couple of jonin and the kage should have taken care of him. Let me know what you guys think, especially the fight scene at the end. **


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